ANTELOPE, California — Bill McAnally Racing had a banner day in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West competition at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, with all four of its teams finishing in the top 10.
"Eric Holmes takes over the championship point race."
Even more impressive was the fact that three of the BMR drivers were in the top five – taking the second, third and fourth positions.
The No. 12 NAPA Gold Filters Toyota Camry piloted by Drive for Diversity driver Paulie Harraka led the way for BMR with a runner-up finish. Close behind him was Brandon Davis in the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions entry. Two-time series champion Eric Holmes was fourth in the No. 20 NAPA Toyota Camry. Meanwhile, Moses Smith brought the No. 16 HASA Pool Toyota Camry home in the ninth spot.
“All four teams did a great job,” said team owner Bill McAnally. “They all showed what they were capable of after a long day at Infineon Raceway. They all showed great team work. It was a great day for our race partners, the crews and all of us at BMR. To leave here with three teams in the top five in points is a great accomplishment with the caliber of competition in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. We’re looking forward to the rest of the 2010 season.”
Harraka had a great start by qualifying the No. 12 entry in tenth. By lap 28, he was knocking at the door running in fourth, racing with road course specialist Boris Said and Sprint Cup Series driver David Gilliland. Great pit stop strategy by crew chief Duane Knorr and the team allowed Harraka to stay up front and bring home a second place finish moving him into third in the chase for the series championship.
Davis, a SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Champion, made his first start for BMR. Showing great talent on the road course, Davis qualified in 7th. Mid race pit stops for fuel and tires moved him back to 28 on the board. That great call by crew chief Rob Dixon and the fast pit stop by the team allowed Davis to quickly move thru the field finishing in third. Davis is running a limited schedule in the West Series. Look for him to take the green for BMR at Toyota Speedway July 3rd as well as Portland International Raceway and Miller Motorsports Park.
After qualifying the No. 20 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry in 13th, Holmes showed that he knows his way around the road course. Crew chief Matt Goslant made the call to pit the NAPA entry early at lap 14, taking on tires. The NAPA team flawlessly fueled the NAPA Toyota the very next lap under green re-entering the race in 29th. Holmes worked his way back into the top-ten despite heavy damage to the right side of the No. 20 at lap 40. Holmes continued to move thru the field finishing in fourth, He takes over the championship point race with a margin of 24 over David Mayhew.
The No. 16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota team had an unfortunate beginning to their race weekend. Due to early engine damage, the team led by crew chief Mario Isola, had to change out the motor missing the first practice. With only one hour to accomplish the change, the No. 16 team successfully got driver Smith out for the second practice. Because of NASCAR rules, Smith had to move to the back of the 38-car field to begin the race. In 18 laps Smith had moved from last to the top-ten before making his only pit stop at lap 20 for fuel. The No. 16 climbed as high as fifth by lap 59 only to have a power steering problem during the final laps dropping him to a ninth place finish. Smith moved into fifth in the chase for the series championship and is only 24 points out of third.
The Thunder Valley Casino Resort “200” can be seen on Thursday, June 24th on SPEED Channel at 3 pm PST.
For more information on Bill McAnally Racing and our race partners, please visit our website at www.billmcanallyracing.com. BMR is also home to the BMR NAPA AutoCare where customers can have their vehicle serviced by a championship winning team. Check our website for our latest discount coupons and to make an appointment for service.
